


like a tamed wildheart

by wintersrose616



Series: statue au [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:07:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29118720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintersrose616/pseuds/wintersrose616
Summary: Dimitri slowly reaches down, despite Felix telling him immediately not to touch it. The cat lifts its head high enough to butt against his palm, a rumbling purr rolling through it. Dimitri makes a delighted sound, scooping it up into his arms.“Felix,” Dimitri says, in that way of his. The reverence uttered in the single breath it takes to exhale his name. It’s combined tonight with pleading, the cat in his arms rumbling as if he’s never been more content. “He’s purring.”“Everyone can hear he’s purring, Dimitri,” Felix states. “We still just can’t take in a cat that you picked up from the side of the road.”.Dimitri’s been a cat magnet since the days he stood watch as a statue over the ruins at the Tailtean Plains. Felix doesn’t hate it as much as he wishes he did.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Series: statue au [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2136591
Comments: 10
Kudos: 70





	like a tamed wildheart

**Author's Note:**

> this takes place about a year after the end of the first story and yes, I did just throw in another trope to statue au for funsies.

Early spring in Fhirdiad is a lie more than anything else, moreso a _light_ version of winter. The snows had melted, and while the sun was out more often than not, it brought with it biting breezes. At night, the cold settled in, wrapping around anyone unfortunate enough to be outside after nightfall.

Felix has never been good at telling Annie no.

Which is how he finds himself freezing on a sidewalk in a line of people awaiting the midnight premiere of some romcom Annette's been talking about for months. Directly behind Annette and Felix are Dedue and Dimitri, their voices too low over the chattering around them for Felix to focus on. The city around them is quiet, most citizens asleep in bed awaiting work the next morning. Felix wishes he was one of them, instead of being one of the people standing in this line. There’s a decent enough amount in front of and behind them, which just irritates Felix more over the circumstances.

Felix is spending all of his energy focusing on not outwardly showing he’s cold. Annette’s scrolling on her phone at his elbow, thankfully content to ignore Felix’s internal struggle. Not that it’s even _his_ fault. It’s Dimitri’s, for implying Felix might want a heavier coat before they left in the first place. He knows Felix bristles at being told what to do; which means as soon as those words left Dimitri’s mouth, Felix had scoffed and stalked out of the apartment with only a thin sweater to beat the night chill.

He's too busy lost in his own thoughts to notice Annette's gotten distracted from her phone, but not too busy to ignore the sharp gasp she gives.

The hand that smacks across his arm also helps pull him from his own thoughts.

"Felix, look! Look, look, look!"

He follows her excited gesture across the road. There's hardly any traffic due to the hour, which means he sees the black cat easily as it scampers across the sidewalk across the street in front of the neon lights still bright in the closed shops.

Annie gasps again as soon as it steps off the sidewalk. "Oh, no! Oh, be careful, kitty!"

The cat trots across the street without a care in the world, as if drawn to the line of people loitering on the sidewalk. For half a second, Felix thinks it may have been a housecat that got loose. Annette squats down, reaching a hand out, softly cooing in attempts to coax it to her, and Felix gets a good look at it as soon as it's at the curb, shelving his housecat idea immediately.

The cat’s obviously been on the streets for a long time, if not for its entire life. While it’s quite big for a cat, there’s obvious signs of it not getting enough food under its fur. Despite its fluff, its black fur is mangy and matted, cut through with pale lines of scars that showcase just how many fights it’s been in to survive. Its tail is crooked, having obviously been broken before, but it walks without limp and full confidence directly towards them.

It ignores Annette completely, brushing by them to plop right at Dimitri’s feet, startling all of them as it stretches out across Dimitri’s boots.

Dimitri makes a soft noise as the cat starts nuzzling against the leather at his ankle, pawing lightly at a lace as it settles, looking like it's comfortable beyond belief.

“Oh! Hello, there!” Dimitri’s voice drops to a gentle murmur as he greets the cat, who just continues nuzzling against his boot.

It’s not the first time Dimitri’s attracted strays of any kind when they’re out and about. On a hike they had gone on with Sylvain and Claude just after the snow first melted, a tiny fox had followed them, chattering excitedly when Dimitri had given it an ounce of attention, stealing some of their dried jerky before running off through the woods again. Most times in the city, Felix will turn around and find Dimitri crouched with cats vying for his attention.

The last time it had happened with Sylvain with them, he had whipped his phone out, a cheerfully sardonic laugh falling from his lips attached with _Hey, Fe, look at this crazy picture I just found._

The picture Sylvain had shown him was enough to knock the breath out of his lungs. It was a slightly blurred photo of Dimitri at the Tailtean Ruins, back when he was nothing but a statue, frozen in time. Sleeping cozily at his feet, nestled in the shade he offered, was a cat.

_'Funny, right?'_ Sylvain had asked, grin cheeky.

_'I hate you,'_ Felix had declared.

Felix stares down at _this_ cat at Dimitri’s feet with a scowl, while Dimitri looks at Felix with a wide eye. It’s because Dimitri’s staring at _him_ that Felix spots the cat’s eyes first, his throat going dry as it stares up at him with one lone eye, a shade of blue that seems far too brilliant to belong to a cat.

Annie makes a noise in her throat, squatting down again to proffer the back of her hand for the cat to sniff. As soon as she starts to reach towards it, though, its demeanor changes from content to angry, ears flattening as it hisses at her, baring its teeth. She takes her hand back in an instant, and as soon as she does, it settles back down, rubbing its face against Dimitri’s ankle.

Dimitri slowly reaches down, despite Felix telling him immediately not to touch it. The cat lifts its head high enough to butt against his palm, a rumbling purr rolling through it. Dimitri makes a delighted sound, scooping it up into his arms.

“Felix,” Dimitri says, in that way of his. The reverence uttered in the single breath it takes to exhale his name. It’s combined tonight with pleading, the cat in his arms rumbling as if he’s never been more content. “He’s purring.”

“Everyone can hear he’s purring, Dimitri,” Felix states. “We still just can’t take in a cat that you picked up from the side of the road.”

“I. . .have my doubts,” Dedue offers, “but perhaps it is chipped?”

Dimitri’s brow furrows and he blinks as he looks to Dedue. Felix makes a face, pulling his phone from his pocket.

“I don’t think it’s chipped, either,” Annie says, her eyes on the rumbling mass of fur in Dimitri’s arms. “It could be worth it to check, though!”

“I know,” states Felix, the directions to the closest twenty-four hour vet pulled up. “C’mon, Dimitri. Enjoy the movie, guys.”

Annie makes a few aborted protests before she lets Dimitri and Felix slip from the line, heading the opposite way they had come from the parking garage Dedue’s car is in. Dimitri follows him, the cat’s continuous purr background noise to Felix’s explanation of microchips as they make their way down the road.

“I see,” Dimitri says, tone saying he doesn’t, but any further explanation would give him a headache. “And you and Dedue both believed this would not be this cat’s case?”

“Look at him, Dimitri,” says Felix, nodding towards the rumbling mass of fur. “He looks like he’s been through hell.”

Dimitri hums, adjusting the weight in his arms. “He certainly does.”

The emergency vet sits on a street corner, neon light flickering as Felix and Dimitri slip in through the sliding glass doors. There’s not anyone waiting in the lobby, and the assistant behind the desk seems more than happy to help them.

The cat, less so.

Anyone else who reaches towards him gets hissed at, a swatting paw with claws drawn aimed at their hands. Dimitri and he end up going into an examination room with the mangy beast, Dimitri doing his best to distract him while the vet runs a scanner over him.

He’s not chipped.

The vet looks him over a bit more while they’re there. It doesn’t look like the cat has bugs, and while he’s obviously not had enough food, that’s a remedy easily fixed. She cuts away the worst of the mats in his fur, instructing them on how to comb him down when they get home to help clean off the dirt without attempting a full on bath.

The longer Dimitri stays with the cat, the more anxious Felix grows. They can’t keep him—Felix already knows a cat like that won’t tolerate an existence inside, and Felix has _school_. There’s no time to train a stray cat how to walk on a harness, even if Dimitri dedicates his entire time to it.

They can’t keep a cat. Even keeping it overnight is going to be hazardous. There’s no shops open this late except maybe the convenience store on the street corner down from the apartment. He has no idea if they sell litter or cat food, or what he can even _give_ a feral cat to eat.

The vet leads them back out to the waiting room while Felix laments internally and the cat continues purring in Dimitri’s arms.

“There are a few shelters in the area that could take him in,” the vet says, scribbling down a number on a sticky note. “But they won’t be open until the morning.”

“Right. Thank you.”

Felix does _not_ snatch the note out of her hand, even if he wants to. He stuffs it into his pocket as he calls them a cab. They wait on the curb outside the vet, Felix growing more and more anxious. The cat looks downright cozy, nestled against Dimitri. He’s still dirty, obviously fresh from the streets, but with the worst of his mangy cut away, he looks less like a battle scarred warrior and more like a house cat that got into an unfortunate accident.

_Especially_ when he, still purring, nuzzles into the collar of Dimitri’s jacket.

Fucking Flames.

“We can’t keep him,” Felix states, as they stand in the chilly night. “We’ll bring him to the shelter first thing in the morning.”

Dimitri hums, scratching idly behind the cat’s ears, but doesn’t give a definitive answer.

“Dimitri.” Felix narrows his eyes when Dimitri looks to him. “That thing would kill Sylvain.”

At that, Dimitri’s head tilts. “You think a cat is capable of murder?”

“That cat?” Felix asks. “Yes. Just not people. Anyway, I mean his fur. Sylvain’s allergic to cats. That’s why he got that giant beast of a dog instead.”

“Oh.” Dimitri blinks, still looking puzzled. “I did not realize he was allergic. He wasn’t in—in the past.”

Felix huffs. “Even more proof we might look the same but aren’t.”

It’s a conversation that they’ve had plenty of times over the past year, one they’re both tired of having, but Felix still sometimes wonders—still _fears_ —that Dimitri only cares for him due to him sharing a face and name with someone he knew who died centuries ago.

Dimitri says nothing to his sharp comment, knowing full well Felix’s anxiety will fade in a few moments when he gets over it. His reassurances are plentiful, that he cares for Felix _for_ Felix and no one else, but Felix still has his moments.

His focus resets on the cat as soon as the car pulls in front of them at the curb, the driver giving them a skeptic look, but saying nothing as they slide into the back. Felix directs them to the corner store five minutes from his apartment, thrilled beyond belief when he sees the flickering _open!_ sign still up.

The person behind the cash register is sitting on a stool, looking bored and exhausted when they glance up.

“Do you have cat litter?” Felix asks, in lieu of any useless smalltalk.

Not five minutes later, Felix carries a small bag of cat litter out of the shop, cans of tuna precariously stacked on top of it. Dimitri smiles warmly at him, and the cat pokes his head out from Dimitri’s collar, blinking that lone eye lazily at him.

Dammit. They cannot keep this cat. He needs to stop looking at it.

The walk back to the apartment is brisk. Dimitri has to dig the keys from his pocket to unlock his door, the cat easily allowing him to sling him over a shoulder to free up a hand.

Felix kicks his shoes off haphazardly in the doorway, narrowly missing the lance resting against the wall as he carries the bag and cans to the table and dumping them down. Grumbling under his breath as Dimitri turns on a few lights, he makes his way to the kitchen to find a decent bowl for water.

“There you go,” Dimitri murmurs, and Felix turns to see him setting the cat down. “Careful on the floor, you might slip on the wood.”

“Dimitri,” Felix says, exasperated.

“He has tufts of fur on his paws,” says Dimitri, hands hovering over the cat. Felix can’t see where he is beyond the counter, but he figures the cat is still butting against him. “He’ll slip if he’s not careful.”

“That thing has faced worse than hardwood floors,” Felix states. He goes back to finding a bowl, filling it from the tap before grabbing one of the tuna cans.

In just a few moments he’s laying a hand towel down against the wall near the bathroom door, the bowl of water placed first, then set down the plate of tuna. Dimitri’s on his hands and knees by this point, peering under the couch.

“I think he’s frightened.”

“That’s understandable,” Felix tells him. “I’m shocked that he’s not trying to drag you under there with him.”

Dimitri gives him a look, mostly exasperation, though there’s the underlying sight of affection in his gaze. Felix rolls his eyes, face heating slightly as he goes to the bedroom. He doesn’t have much in the way of storage—doesn’t have a _need_ for a lot, anyway. He goes to the closet, flicking the light on as he looks around for something suitable enough for cat litter. All the while, he can hear Dimitri’s soft voice, trying to coax the cat out from under the couch with the promise of food.

He finds a medium sized plastic container holding what he deems his _important_ documents. After a moment of consideration, his lips twist in a grimace and he takes the lid off, pulling the paperwork out and setting it up on the shelf before heading back out of the bedroom.

Dimitri’s on his stomach now, head pillowed by his arms as he stares underneath the couch. Felix walks around him, trying to stamp down the warm rush he feels at the sight and the sound of him softly cooing at the cat. Felix fills the container with litter before setting it away from the food and water against the far wall. He squats down next to Dimitri, tilting his head. All he can see is the eyeshine of a lone eye staring out at them from the dark shadows.

“He’s probably going to stay freaked out for a bit,” Felix says. “We should leave him be. He’ll explore when he feels comfortable enough to.”

Dimitri hums, pushing himself up with a soft sigh. “I suppose you’re right. It is late, too.”

Felix snorts at that. Based on the time, Annie and Dedue aren’t even halfway through the movie they planned to see with them. He doesn’t bother mentioning that or their mutual nap earlier in the afternoon to makeup for what promised to be an all night thing, just follows when Dimitri rises.

They get ready for bed in mostly silence, Dimitri occasionally poking his head out to see if the cat has emerged from his hiding spot. By the time they’re shutting lights off and heading to the bedroom, there’s no sign of him moving yet, and Felix leaves the table lamp on in the living room for him, just in case he preferred sneaking around in lowlight.

"The shelter opens at seven," Felix says, as he settles in bed next to Dimitri. "I'll call them when we get up."

Dimitri stretches languidly under the covers, humming a noise that's neither agreement or argument. His eye is above Felix, still resting on the slightly open door.

"He'll be fine. The food is close enough that he can sneak out and eat if he wants."

Felix hopes he wants, at least. The lingering fishy smell is noticeable even in the bedroom, and while he has no doubt that cat has eaten worse than slightly off tuna, he doesn't want to risk him getting sick before they drop him off at the shelter.

Dimitri hasn't bothered to answer him, brow furrowed, eye still on the door. Felix sits up slightly, startling him.

"Hey." When Dimitri looks to him, he leans down, bumping his nose against Dimitri’s. "The shelter will be better for him than us. We can't keep a cat."

Another hum, Dimitri's large hand sliding up his waist to cup his jaw. He brushes a light, chaste kiss to Felix's lips.

"I suppose you're right," he murmurs.

"I'm always right," Felix states, settling down and nuzzling into Dimitri’s neck. He feels the smile Dimitri presses to the crown of his head.

"Of course," Dimitri says, dropping to kiss his forehead. "Goodnight, love."

Felix places a kiss of his own to Dimitri's neck, nose brushing along his skin. "Goodnight."

**.**

When Felix wakes what only feels like a few hours later, the bed is cold.

It's not unusual for Dimitri to wake in the middle of the night. Whatever terrors greet him in his sleep are still ones Felix cannot truly understand, despite his best efforts and his own, rarer nightmares. Whenever Felix wakes to Dimitri’s nightmares, he tries his hardest to calm him down, help him settle back into sleep. Most times when they occur, Dimitri stays in bed, curled around Felix.

Tonight, though, he's alone and Dimitri's spot on the bed lacks the warmth it should hold. It tells Felix simply that Dimitri only slept a few measly moments, if at all, before climbing from the bed once he was certain Felix was in deep enough sleep.

Felix crawls from bed, shivering as soon as he's out of the bundle of blankets. He grabs one to wrap around himself, heading to the door and pausing just before it.

It's more closed than it had been when they had gone to sleep, but still open enough that Felix can see low lamplight through the thin crack.

It's from there that he hears the soft rumbling of Dimitri's voice, gentle in the quiet darkness.

"I'm sure this is quite the system shock to you," Dimitri’s murmuring. "Being taken from what you were used to and thrust in this odd world." There's a soft little laugh, just a quiet huff. "At least Felix keeps it very warm here. I know it's not easy sleeping in the streets. _Especially_ nowadays. It's never truly quiet here, is it? There's always something making noise."

There's a soft _mrrp_ , as if the cat agrees with what Dimitri's saying. Dimitri gives another one of those soft, self-deprecating laughs.

"I suppose you and I aren't that different. I had to fight to survive, too."

Felix cracks the door open just a bit wider. He's not foolish enough to think Dimitri hadn't heard him get out of bed, but he doesn't look up from where he's sitting on the ground behind the couch, the cat in his lap.

Felix can hear him purring from the doorway.

He walks silently over, the blanket trailing behind him like a too-long cloak. Dimitri glances up to him when Felix sits down beside him, takes the edge of blanket that's offered to tuck around his body as Felix rests his head against his shoulders.

The cat stares up at Felix, blinking his one eye, his purrs trailing off as he tries to suss out Felix's reason for interrupting.

"Did we wake you?"

"No." Felix reaches up to curl some hair behind Dimitri's ear before settling back down, cheek against his shoulder. "So, what's his name?"

There's a pause as Dimitri hears his question, drawn out by how he processes it. The shoulder underneath Felix tenses, slowly. He doesn't need to look to know Dimitri's blinking.

"What?"

"What are you naming it?"

"Nami—? _Felix_?"

There's a tremor in his voice, hope causing his pitch to rise. Felix turns to bury his face in his shoulder so that the grin he's biting down isn't visible.

"I'm not naming it."

Dimitri gives a laugh, deep-bellied and joyous. The cat makes a soft noise of protest before it starts to rumble as well, purrs just as loud.

"I fear I don't know any decent cat names." Dimitri brings a hand to his chin in thought, the other still scratching behind the cat's ears. After a moment, he hums. "Hm. What about Mr Bubbles?"

Felix lifts his head from his shoulder, bewildered. "What?"

"Mr Bubbles," he repeats. The cat meows, headbutting Dimitri's chin, startling him into a brief grin. "Ah. I think he likes it."

"You—. You want to name the cat _Mr Bubbles._ "

"Well, I am open to any suggestions, should you have them, Felix. You did sound very certain you wished for _me_ to name him, though."

Felix makes a half-aborted angry noise. "Never mind. He doesn't need a name."

"What?" Dimitri blinks at him, staring in disbelief. "He needs a name!"

"Does he? He's the only cat here."

"We are not naming him _Cat_ , Felix."

"Oh, but you'll name him Mr Bubbles."

"Need I remind you Sylvain and Claude named their dog _'Duke von Fluffington?'"_

Felix rolls his eyes. "No. I'm aware of what stupid name they gave their dumb dog."

Dimitri huffs a breath, haughty. "Then it is safe to say Mr Bubbles is a far better name. Even _more_ better than _Cat_."

Felix makes a face, peering at the cat. He looks happy and content. "Mr Bubbles, huh." The cat looks over to him, sniffing at the hand Felix outstretches.

He lifts his head to butt against Felix's palm and Felix huffs at the gesture.

"You sure act like a pampered house cat instead of a feral street cat, don't you?"

The cat sneezes directly in his face.

Dimitri makes a noise like he's trying not to laugh as Felix jerks backwards, a sharp _fuck_ falling from his lips.

"Awful," he mutters, already climbing to his feet. " _Awful_."

"Felix—," Dimitri starts, sounding nothing short of delightful. "He didn't mean it—"

Felix ignores him, trying not to stomp into the bathroom, scrubbing his face clean. The cat still sits happily in Dimitri's lap when he walks back out, Dimitri’s lips parting to no doubt make another excuse.

"I'm going back to bed," he declares.

_"Felix._ "

Felix ignores him, going back to the bedroom. He slips under the remaining covers grabbing his phone. It's far too early—or, he supposes, far too late, but he sends a text to the group chat, not entirely expecting a response for a few hours but unsurprised by his phone immediately lighting up with a response from Sylvain.

**Me**  
we got a cat

**Sylvain**  
are you TRYING to kill me???

**Me**  
yes  
dimitri named him Mr Bubbles

**Sylvain**  
mr bubbles??

**Me**  
you’re the last one allowed to judge it.

Whatever response Sylvain sends is ignored as the door creaks open, Dimitri shuffling inside. Felix doesn’t even have to look to know he’s holding the cat in his arms—the beast is purring loud enough to wake the dead at this rate. 

His eyes narrow as Dimitri carefully sets Mr Bubbles— _Mr Bubbles,_ Sothis save them—down on the bed, watching the cat’s reaction. That lone eye looks to Felix, his rumbling stopping as he takes the step forward to close the distance between them. Felix tenses, expecting another sneeze.

He’s not expecting the headbutt before Mr Bubbles settles down.

Dimitri beams, bright and happy, tugging the blankets up so he can slip beneath them. “See? He’s apologizing!”

”Is he?” Felix asks, voice dripping sarcasm as the cat curls up next to Dimitri’s chest. “Could’ve fooled me.”

” _Felix_.” The affection is Dimitri’s voice is outdone by his exasperation, but he stretches over the cat to kiss his forehead. “Thank you.”

”Don’t thank me. We barely know what we’re doing. We’ll have to get so many things for it.”

”Then it is quite a good thing you took tomorrow off, hm?”

Felix rolls his eyes so he doesn’t have to look at his smug smile. “It already _is_ tomorrow, Dimitri. Go to sleep.”

Dimitri’s hand crosses the distance between them to tug Felix’s out from under the covers, his lips brushing his knuckles before he settles his palm flat against his chest. Felix can feel the steady, thumping beat of his heart under his hand and he looks up to see Dimitri’s eye is closed, his smile content. The cat looks like he’s already asleep, curled up with his tail covering his face, settled between them like he’s always belonged there. 

Felix’s throat tightens at the sight, and he’s not sure he has it in himself to examine why.

Dimitri’s fingers squeeze Felix’s once, gently, as he murmurs, “Goodnight.”

Felix hums, squeezing his own fingers against Dimitri’s chest in response. “Night.”

**Author's Note:**

> I cannot thank [V](https://twitter.com/Bumblevetr) enough for her encouragement/support when I barrelled into her dms on twitter screaming about cat dads. she was also kind enough to draw Mr Bubbles for this, which you can see [here!](https://twitter.com/wintersrose616/status/1356337584234876928)


End file.
